Baseball mask



T. GOODMAN BASEBALL MASK April 1 1924.

' 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed March 6, 1922 w M m. w? mgw A. Q

A ril 1, 1924. 1,488,812

T. GOODMAN BASEBALL MASK Filed March a, 1.922 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 ImmnZb'fi win/055- Thoma; Goodman,

hd d lt KPH-Owe W or osn Tee-re BASEBALL Application filed March 6, 1922. Serial 1%. senses.

T 0 all whom it may concern.

Be it known that l, THOMAS @UODMAN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Mob rose Park, in the county of Cook and State of lllinois, have invented certain new and useful improvements in Baseball Masks, of which the following is aspecification.

This invention relates to masks of the character worn by baseball players, and the main object of the invention is to provide an improved mask characterized by lighter weight, increased comfort, and greater facility of manipulation than the masks at present used, without any sacrifice of strength and efficiency.

in baseball masks of the known and commonly used type, the body of the mask comprises a welded wire frame which, in order to have the requisite strength and rigidity to withstand the severe blows and concussions to which it is often subjected, is made of heavy wire, and, when equipped with the necessary padding, is objectionably heavy on the head of the wearer. In designing the mask of my present invention, I have had mainly in view a substantial reduction in the weight of the mask without any sacrilice of its protective quality; and with this in view, I have discarded the common welded wire frame and employed in lieu thereof a one piece metal body or frame, preferably of a light cast metal, such as aluminum; and to secure a; still better combination of strength and lightness, I also employ special structural features, such as weight reducing slots at points least subject to strain and strengthening ribs located in regions which are most liable to breakage or deformation, which ribs also serve in large measure to protect the envelope of a ball from being out by impact with the mask.

These and other objects and attendant ad vantages of the invention will be apparent to persons skilled in the art as the same be comes better understood by reference to the following detailed description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein I have illustrated a practical and preferred embodiment of the invention, and in which Fig. 1 is a front elevation of the cast metal frame of the mask;

Fig. 2 is a perspective elevation of the same as seen from the right of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged sectional detail on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1;

ig. at is a front elevation of the complete 11 a 'l', including the padding and fastening str and mask holding bands; and

71 lg. 5 is a perspective elevation of Fig. i iewed from the right of the latter figure. eferring to the drawings, 5 designates as an entirety the cast metal frame or body, having the neral outline contour of the human face, and preferably made of aluminum, in order to combine lightness and strength.

The marginal portion of the frame, to which the padding is attached, is outwardly flared, as indicated at 5*; and the frame may be further lightened without any sacrifice of strength by forming at spaced intervals throughout the flared marginal portion slots 6.

Across the front of the frame in the region of the eyes is a continuous wide vision slot 7, and below the latter in the region of the mouth is a substantially rectangular eX- pectoration slot 8, the edges of the latter being preferably oblique as shown. By giving the enpeetoration opening this form, there is less weakening of the metal than where the upper and lower edges of the expectoration opening lie parallel with the lower edge of the long vision opening.

Parallel with and slightly inwardly of the upper and lower edges of the vision opening 7 are protuberant ribs 9, preferably formed by odsetting the metal of the frame, in the casting operation, as indicated in Fig. 3. From the center of the upper rib 9 there extends upwardly a similar vertical rib 10.

Similar ribs 11 are formed adjacent to the margins of the eXpectoration opening 8. The margins ofvthe later opening and the relatively long upper and lower margins of the vision opening are the weakest and most vulnerable points of the mask frame with reference to the effects of blows and concussions, and the described ribs very effectively reinforce the mask against breakage or deformation in these regions. Accidental cracking or breaking of the crown of the mask is also strongly resisted by the vertical rib 10. The protuberant ribs 9 and 11 bounding the margins of the vision and expectoration openings serve another valuable purpose in that they are sufficiently close to the edges to receive the impact of a ball on their rounded surfaces and prevent the cover or envelope of the ball from being cut or scored by the sharp edges of the openings.

Opposite the lower portion of the open ing 8 1 preferably form slots or openings 12 which further lighten the frame and increase the ventilation in the region of the chin.

Inwardly of the slots 6 are formed a group of slots 13 through which extend leather fastening strips 1 that are atta hed to the face pad'15 and are united to similar fastening strips 16 extending over the rear edge of the frame by .lacings 17. The chin pad 18 is similarly attached to the frame by fastening strips or corner portions 19 of the chin pad envelope passed through tle slots 20 in the lower portion of the frame and connected to similar attachment strips or corner portions 21 overlapping the edge of the frame by cords 22.

At points opposite the ends of the vision opening 7 are slots 23, and above the central rib 10 are a pair of parallel slots 2 through which slots extend side and top straps 25 and 26, respectively, to whici are attached the broad elastic horizontal and vertical bands 27 and 28 by which the mask is held in position on the face of the wearer, with capacity for quick dislod e menl', when nee essary, by throwing the mask upwardly and backwardly by a push on the chin cushion or pad 18.

It is believed that the structural features and advantages of my improved mask will be apparent from the foregoing without further detailed description. The customary wire frame mask equipped with padding and fastening straps weighs two pounds. My improved mask as herein shown and described, fully equipped with padding and fastening straps, and with the frame of aluminum weighs one pound, and possesses fully the strength and efficiency of the wire frame mask. Structurally it is easier to manufacture and assemble than the wire frame mask, since the entire frame may be formed in a single casting operation, doing away with the necessity of spot welding the large number of intersecting and meeting wire elements.

Although I have shown and described the body or frame of the mask as of cast metal, it will be evident that the same may be formed of a heavy sheet metal pressed to shape in suitable dies.

I claim.

1. A one-piece metal frame for base ball masks formed with vision and expectoration openings therein and with strengthening ribs skirting the margins of said openings, said ribs lying sufiiciently close to said margins to receive the impact of a ball and protect the envelope of the latter from being cut by the edges of said openings.

2. A one-piece metal frame for baseball masks formed with a single wide vision opening extending across the nose and eye areas of the mask and with protuberant stiffening ribs adjacent to and parallel with the upper and lower edges of said opening, and disposed sufficiently close to said margins to receive the impact of a ball and proroot the envelope of the latter from being cut by the edges of said opening.

3. A one-piece metal frame for baseball masks formed with. a single wide vision opening extending across the nose and eye areas of the mask and with. protuberant stiffening ribs adjacent to and parallel with the upper and lower edges of said opening and a central stiffening rib extending upwardly from and at right angles to the uppermost of said first-named stiffening ribs.

4. A one-piece metal frame for baseball masks formed with a substantially rectangular expectoration opening the four edges of which are oblique to lines bisecting said opening lengthwise and widthwise of said frame and with protuberant stiffening ribs disposed adjacent to and substantially parallel with the opposite side edges of said opening.

5. A one-piece metal frame for baseball masks formed with a single wide vision opening extending across the nose and eye areas of the mask and with a substantially rectangular expectoration opening located centrally between said vision opening and the chin portion of the mask and having its four edges oblique to lines bisecting said opening lengthwise and widthwise of said frame, and protuberant stiffening ribs adjacent to and parallel with the upper and lower edges of said wide vision opening and similar ribs adjacent to and substantially.

parallel with the opposite side edgesof said expectoration opening.

THOMAS GOODMAN. 

